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Paris Blockchain Week Summit Shows French Regulatory Climate Beginning to Thaw

Christina Comben | Mar 25, 2019 | 17:00

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France isn’t at the forefront of blockchain adoption–at least, not yet. However, all that could be about to change. Paris Blockchain Week Summit from April 16-17, will be one of Europe’s largest events dedicated to blockchain professionals. It’s also the first of its kind to be held here, backed by the French Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Paris Blockchain Week Takes Place April 13-19

April 2019 won’t only be a good time to visit Paris in full bloom as the thousands of trees that line its famous boulevards burst into shades of pink and white. This year, PBW organizers are dedicating an entire week to furthering the blockchain scene in France.

🚀🚀 @PBWSummit is approaching very fast !!
Secure your attendance 🤓 #fintech #blockchain #Crypto #Summit #Paris #international #keynotespeaker @woorton @SuperDatalents @ChainAcc @AFGCy @LaFrenchTech @HavasBlockchain @Wachsman_
Looking forward to meeting you @joinstationf pic.twitter.com/VulepaAkYg

— Paris Blockchain Week Summit (@PBWSummit) March 22, 2019

Just a few weeks after the updated PACTE law to aid innovation in the country, the event will showcase the French regulatory framework, one that takes a lighter, more flexible approach to emerging tech.

Paris is one of the world’s most expensive cities currently. But it’s also now vying for its place as a blockchain hub. One of the goals of the PBW is to encourage international blockchain projects to put down roots here.

Throughout the week there will be a series of events. These include workshops, hackathons, keynotes, and of course, fancy cocktail parties to showcase the country’s fine champagne as well as burgeoning tech scene.

Some of the highlights of the week include a €10k prize for the first team to create an entire blockchain and UI on the Cosmos mainnet. There will also be a gathering of the world’s top French-speaking CEOs, entrepreneurs, and investors organized by FrenchFounders.

The flagship event of the week, however, is the Paris Blockchain Week Summit, which organizers expect to attract some 1,500 attendees.

What to Expect from the Paris Blockchain Week Summit

The Paris Blockchain Week Summit (PBWS) is a two-day long conference taking place at Station F. The event will gather some of the most influential thought-leaders, decision-makers, and movers and shakers in the blockchain space.

Among the speakers are Tezos co-Founder Arthur Breitman, MyEtherWallet’s COO Brian Norton, and Ripple’s Global Head of Banking Marjan Delatinne. Ledger’s President Pascal Gauthier will, of course, be delivering a keynote as well, as will eToro’s CEO Yoni Assia.

Speakers on the main stage will discuss EU regulation, decentralized exchanges, stable coins, scalability issues, advances in consensus mechanisms, governance, PoW vs PoS, sharding, the integration of AI in distributed algorithms, and many other topics besides.

With Switzerland, Malta, and even Lichtenstein gathering all the attention, this is Paris’ chance to show the world that the country is open for blockchain business–and that France is a contender in the race.  

France is one of the few G20 countries to have drafted a framework for blockchain entrepreneurs over the last year. Its regulators are open-minded and advised by the likes of industry heavyweights Ledger and La French Tech. France is definitely beginning to show that the climate is thawing for blockchain businesses here.

Cryptocurrency Adoption in France

Some of the largest companies in the industry have come out of France. However, while Bitcoinist reported on the efforts of French protestors and street artist Pascal Boyart to spread the word on Bitcoin, France hasn’t been a major contender so far.

With the Paris Blockchain Week Summit backed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, it looks like while other G20 countries are falling behind, France is getting serious.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock